Monthly Archives: December 2013

Order Today and Have it By Christmas! Great Gift for Photographers!

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Great gift for the photographer in your life. Order today (Saturday) at Amazon and ask for two day delivery.  This is one of the highest rated photography books at Amazon.com. It covers the “basics” like other “Dummies” books but it covers intermediate and advanced photography skills too. You are getting a beginners book and an advanced book all for the price of one book. Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies is highly recommended by beginners and professionals alike and it has received top reviews from photography magazines. Lean more here and order it at Amazon.com.

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The Best of the Best: Recommendations For The Best Photo Gear, Books, Software, and Online Photo Labs

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The best of the best cameras, accessories, photo books and more.

The best of the best cameras, accessories, photo books and more.

This time each year I put together a collection of articles recommending the best photo gear, books, DVDs, software, calendars, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. The articles are revised every year throughout the holiday season, some of them extensively. The list of linked articles follows.

(Originally posted Nov. 13, 2013. Updated Dec. 18, 2013)

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Tripod Head Recommendations: Some of the Best of the Best

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Kirk Enterprises BH-3 Ball Head with Arca-Swiss style quick release

The short list.

3-Way Tripod heads:

Manfrotto 056 3D Junior Head (replaces 3025)
Manfrotto 3025
Manfrotto 115 3D Super Junior Head (replaces 3028)
Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head

Ball Heads:

Slik Pro Ballhead 800
Kirk Enterprises BH-3
Kirk Enterprises BH-1
Really Right Stuff BH-40
Really Right Stuff BH-55

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Inexpensive ($9 – $117) Gifts for Photographers

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Flash adapter and umbrella for an shoe-mount electronic flash.

Flash adapter and umbrella for an shoe-mount electronic flash.

There are a lot of practical and inexpensive gifts for photographers. Here is a nice list of items from $7 to $100. All of these items can be found at my photography store (powered by Amazon.com with Amazon’s terrific ordering, shipping, guarantee, and service). Most of the items below are in the Photo Goodies section. Prices are current as of this update but they do fluctuate so they are approximate.

(Originally posted Nov. 14, 2013. Updated Dec. 17, 2013.)

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The Best “How To” Nature Photography Books

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Nature photography books

Some of my favorite nature photography books.

Want to be a better nature photographer? Read anything by John Shaw, Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe, Freeman Patterson, Tim Fitzharris, George Lepp, Larry West, Arthur Morris, Allen Rokach, John Netherton, Leonard Lee Rue III, Brenda Tharp, Tony Sweet, and the Stackpole (publisher) nature series. Now for some of the “best of the best” books to look for. These are my favorites out of hundreds of photography books in my library.

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Q & A: Hyperfocal Distance and Wide Angle Lens Converters

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Autumn Path, Michigan. Depth of Field complements of a Hyperfocal Distance Chart

Autumn Path, Michigan. Depth of Field complements of a Hyperfocal Distance Chart

The following question came today via email. I occasionally post some of the questions that come my way, along with my answer.

Question: Does the hyperfocal distance of a prime lens remain the same when a wide angle converter is attached to the lens?

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Nature Photography Workshop – May 10, 2014

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OSU-Mansfield Nature Photography Workshop

OSU-Mansfield Nature Photography Workshop

OSU Extension will be offering my nature photography workshop and field trip on the Mansfield Ohio Campus. Learn how to create beautiful nature and landscape photos. Explore the ways you can tell your camera to work its special magic. Discover the secrets of the pros that turn ordinary snapshots into dynamic images. Get real time in-the-field, hands-on help combined with informative and inspiring classroom presentations.

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Jennifer Blakeley Recommends Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies

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Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies

Jennifer Blakeley does beautiful newborn photography. Her celebrity client list includes Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green; Vanessa and Donald Trump Jr.; and Jocelyn Towne and Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory). She is also the founder of Alphabet Photography. A highly respected and award winning Canadian photographer, she has also worked with the Canadian Olympics Gymnastic Team.

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GoPro Hero 3+: Amazing, Small, Inexpensive, HD Video Camera

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GoPro Hero 3+ Cameras

GoPro Hero 3+ Cameras

Looking for a small, mountable, “ideal for sports and action”, inexpensive, high definition video and still camera with a waterproof housing and image quality that Lucasfilm (the Star Wars people) calls “amazing”? Take a look at the amazing video footage at the end of this post (with skiing, snow boarding, surfing, cliff diving, motocross, auto racing, jet piloting, base jumping, and parasailing). This camera will go anywhere and mount just about anywhere.

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The Best Digital Photography Books

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Some of the Best Digital Photography Books

Some of the Best Digital Photography Books

Some well chosen books can make a world of difference in your digital photography. Some of the best books are about the camera side of photography, some are about the digital darkroom side, and some are about both. Out of hundreds of books in my photo library, I have picked out the best.

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Best Digital Cameras of 2013 (Including 2009 – 2012)

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Canon 5DMark III camera. Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4 lens. Really Right Stuiff L-Bracket.

It’s that time of year. The holiday season is here and I am getting the usual questions about which digital cameras I recommend. The camera lists below will point you to the highest rated models. There is also some information and advice on choosing a camera. The lists will be updated throughout the holiday season as new, highly rated cameras become available. (Originally posted Nov. 26, 2013. Updated Dec. 3, 2013.)

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Beautiful 2014 Calendars

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2014 calendars

Just a few of the many beautiful calendars in my calendar store.

Every year I pick several landscape and nature calendars to hang on my office walls. The beautiful images are a great source of inspiration for the whole year. This is the place to be if you are looking for beautiful calendars for yourself (or for the photographer in your life). I picked an extensive selection of beautiful wall and engagement calendars for my photography store (which is powered by Amazon.com).

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Some of the Best All Purpose Photography Books

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photography books

This is a list of books that were the most helpful to me when I took a serious interest in photography, and I continue to refer to them. These books were written back when film was king, but that makes them all the more valuable to today’s digital photographers. Some digital photography books get so lost in technical information that the heart and soul of photography can get lost. The best film photography books are about light and shadow, subjects, form, texture, line and shape – all of which applies to digital photography.

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Books and Calendars from the Master: Ansel Adams

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Ansel Adams - Half done, Merced River, Winter

Ansel Adams: Half Dome, Merced River, Winter. © Ansel Adams Publishing rights Trust

I have no idea when I was first entranced by the photos of Ansel Adams. There is a wonderful, luminous quality to his work. Small wonder he is America’s best known landscape photographer. Collections of his work would make a worthy addition to any photographer’s library. This is also the time of year that Ansel Adams calendars pop up like snowstorms.

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Last Day! Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 for $9.99 Per Month

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Special Offer - Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5

Special Offer – Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5

If you have ever wanted to try Photoshop, it will never be cheaper than today.

It is unlikely you will ever get a better offer for Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 combined.  Today is the last day you can get them both via Adobe’s new monthly subscription plan for $9.99 per month. Prior to this special offer, Photoshop CC was offered for $19.99 per month.

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